Best Buy selling MacBooks, Pros, iMacs, etc.

The one thing i hate about working at bestbuy, is that whenever someone wants a mac they find me, when at work at home or at sleep, as i am the only one that knows a thing about a mac. Every one i speak to buys a mac, from customer fulfillment with free shipping financing and reward zone, or from the apple store a mile and a half away. I have my intel imac, and my old school g4 ibook. we will always have the macs on our website and they will alphabetically always come up first, because they are superior.
7697548 sku for 17" intel imac
7757135 core duo mac mini
7865474 white macbook superdrive
7865508 2ghz macbook pro 15.4"
7837184 17" macbook pro

I asked at work today (I work in the PC department of a really successful BB store, great place), and the word is that the Best Buy for Business stores (just one of the classifications of the stores) will be the ones carrying the full line of macs.

My store is supposed to be converting to a BBFB store, but it was supposed to happen in January, and still hasn't been convered....I can give more info as time progresses.

Well, they're in a corner at the local CompUSA, but the display is pretty nice, with the latest two items from Apple always up front (MBP and iPod Hifi right now) and software rows leading back to two walls of systems, from slightly older G4 and G5 stock to Intel ones.I always end up there after rooting around the various other areas for components for my other systems. Right now my hope is to find a magnetic power attachemnt for my generic laptop power brick (a fine excuse to look at Apple stuff.) One complaint is that the staff isn't really too trained on the technical aspects, they do have "Apple Specialist" days, but the guy that came over when I was poking at the black MacBook didn't seem to know what I meant by 'Intel Integrated Video [card]' and 'dedicated Ati Video [card]' as notable differences between the MB and MBP, but I sort of felt this would be the case if I was poking at any laptop there.

It's one of those no win scenarios because you are right but on the other hand, distribution is distribution. There are lots of towns where there is only one or two CE stores and those people just don't trust mail order/internet - they want to ask questions and get answers ... and sure, 75% of the time, the answers are wrong but then they can't answer the right questions for PC's, cameras or whatever anyway but at least, it's an option ... and if Dell keeps releasing iMac attempts at $3,500 and twice as thick as an iMac and the iMac will run XP also ... that shopper might think twice and every chance at a sale is better than none ...

I got my iBook G4 at a BestBuy (In Kitchener, Ontario, Canada) almost 2 years ago. They had a deal going where if you bought the mid-range iBook G4 (1GHz, 256MB, 40GB, combo, no AE) you'd get a FREE iPod 3G 15GB for $1699 CDN + tax. Even though I knew that the iBook would be upgraded within 2-3 months and the iPod 3G was already replaced by Apple (the new model was announced a few days earlier I think) it was a great deal. THe store sold out its limited supply of both and had to issue quite a lot of rainchecks. After getting my laptop I came back a couple weeks later and noticed that they weren't even selling the iBook anymore (don't remember about other Apple computers). They sure do have a huge iPod display with tons of accessories though. Been there once or more but I don't remember them ever selling Macs again (except online). I guess I should check it some time soon. I'm going to save up some money, sell this iBook and buy the 2GHz white MacBook (with 1GB RAM, 80GB HD and all three DVI adapters) soon. Would be nice to get some sort of deal with it.

BTW. If any Canadians are jelous I've got a local Mac reseller/repair shop in Kitchener (Carbon Computing), and TWO Apple stores in Toronto (an 1 hour drive away) - Apple please put a store somewhere in Vancouver - people in the West need Macs too ;-)

Geez, even internally the information doesn't flow that quickly. Unlike most dreadful Mac/BBY experiences people will get I can rest assured that there are people out there like me. I'm a computers associate at Best Buy but I'm a HUGE Apple geek. (Kind of like... I sell Windows with a straight face when I'm thinking "just get a Mac!" the entire time) I've gone to numerous trainings and I'm even part of the Apple Sales Web team.. not your typical blue shirt.

Unfortunately as stated by most of you... Best Buy isn't anything more than an Apple Certified Reseller. That means we have the right ot carry their stuff and display advertisements but we're not required to know the product. Best Buy currently doesn't offer any form of training on Apple products--surprisingly not even the iPod. Head to my store (in Forsyth, IL) and if you want to see a well maintaned Apple display in Best Buy, you won't be let down.

Best Buy has sold Macs on and off for quite some time. For a while, they had the colored iMacs, but after they argued about what colors they could/couldn't order, BBY dropped them.
Then they carried the Mac Mini. They didn't sell well, because they were bare bones (no wireless, no bluetooth, no SuperDrive), and there was no way to upgrade them without buying it, and then going to Apple for the parts. So BBY dropped them. Again.

You know that knee-jerk reaction you have when you hear about a divorced couple who get married again? Yeah, that one.

Best Buy Customer: [to Best Buy Employee] "Have any Macs?"

Best Buy Employee: "Whats a Mac?"

I sincerely hope that they get some training for the sales people.
When the local BB had mac mini's previously, they were treated like the red-haired stepchild of the bunch. First, you couldn't even find them, as they were tucked off in a corner with the notebooks. No signs, no special displays, nothing. Then, when you did, they were set up with a cheap, crappy monitor, keyboard, mouse. Nothing like the beautiful 20" Cinema displays that are used in the Apple Store, because BB didn't carry the displays. Second, nobody, and I mean NOBODY, knew a thing about them.
A few weeks later, the display model was tucked in the case with a floor model sticker price on it.

So, couple terribly bad visual setup, with Radio Shack style selling techniques (i.e. You have questions - so do we!), and you get the disaster that was.

As an aside, BB employees don't seem to be generally well trained for any of this techie stuff. A friend who worked in their home theater section was never trained on TiVos, even when BB was the sole retailer of Series 2 units. I taught him everything he knew, and he sold a boat-load of them.

I actually like it. I don't need a sales man to give me any info, just to get me the box. I get all my info online and take it to a service station when things get out of me range of expertise for repair. In my part of Canada, there are no apple stores for at least a 7 hour drive and it's a tiny mall included one at that. Bestbuy has weekly sales on occasion and their regular price is the same as apple's but without having to order it online. I can actually take it home with me when I buy it rather than wait for a weeks shipping. For someone who knows nothing of computers and is on the fence between an apple or a HP, I can see how this can suck in a PC's favor, but mac heads shouldn't need to worry about Bestbuy. It's just a store, it can't hurt you.